3/22/07 The Amazing SWDini

It is now May 12th, 2004, Mr Foote has officially owned the project for 6 months almost to the day, in that 6 months SWD has succeeded in completing 4 more conditions. Now he sets his sights on scaring the South Pasadena City Council into declining their authority over the project, and, put the Los Angeles City Council on notice that if they try to stop his project he will sue them .
He has 2 months until his final final final deadline, 20 conditions remain incomplete, the grading
dept has his plans and has found several discrepancies (I personally saw the grading plans at that time and spoke with the grading engineer who gave the plans little chance of beating the deadline)which need to be corrected then the plans are to be re-submitted to grading for their inspection, once grading signs off there are still 19 more conditions to meet
Status of tract map 35022 as of 5-12-2004:
Conditions yet to be completed:

Condition........# Description.............Governing Department
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#1 ...........................Fire................................ LAFD

#9........................ Merger ............................Planning

#10................ South Pasadena ................SP City Council

#12 ...............Build and Safety .....................LADBS
..............................Grading ............................Grading

#13................... Dept of Trans
.....................parking/driveway plan .............DOT

#15 ............Covenant and Agreement
........................Mitigation Monitor ................Planning

#17 ....................Landscape Plan ...................Planning

#18..................... Street Lighting....................... BSL

#19........................ Fire Plot Plan...................... LAFD

#20..................... Ringgold and Corona
...........................................Fire ..........................Planning

#23 ...............................Cable Tv......................... Cable

#25........................... Animal Services..................... BOE

#99.................................. NOD ..............................Planning

When I was informed by the counter people at the planning department that there was
no way this project was going to be able to beat the deadline I felt like they were just blowing
sunshine up my skirt so We stayed vigilant and just about every third day Me or Elva or Alana
were downtown checking the status of the map, even though on some occasions the status could not be verified I continued to be encouraged by the general opinion that this was a lost cause for SWD.
During this two month period a special meeting of the South Pasadena City Council was announced to address the specific agenda item regarding tract 35022 Prior to the meeting
Mr Foote had a private meeting with the SPCC where he not only threatened the City Attorney
with lawsuits if he tried to stop the project, but I'm sure this is also when Mr Foote made the gracious offer to pay the city's legal expenses if we sued them. Talk about a win -win
this is it for SP. So they abandon the 'we support Save Elephant Hills' attitude and adopt the
'We really don't think we have any authority regarding these hill issues in LA" posture.
With South Pasadena cowering in the corner like a beaten puppy our hero Bill Foote sets his sights on the Los Angeles City Council and the various departments who ultimately hold the key to his success or failure regarding the Pueblo Avenue Sub-Divison. This man has more tricks up his sleeve than anyone ever imagined.
After having his lawyers draft the lawsuits naming Rocky Delgadillo, Antonio Villaraigosa and other members of the assorted departments as defendants, he has a meeting with a group of them and mentions that the lawsuits will be filed immediately following the City Council meeting on July 20th if his project tract map does not get approval and given final recordation at that time.
The date is July 14th, 2004 the expiration day of tract 35022, I am in the offices of the Building and Safety Dept, inquiring about the status of the tract map, there are a bunch of faces I don't recognize and more importantly who don't recognize me, they think I am a runner for SWD and inform me to tell my boss that if he doesn't get a payment to them TODAY his approval will be denied. I assure them that I will deliver the message and leave.
The message goes undelivered and I am sure the battle is won, until the following day when at a meeting with Antonio Villaraigosa members of the Save Elephant Hills coalition are given the devastating news, Mr Foote has pulled off the impossible and got his final condition checked off on the 14th of July (yesterday) at 4:00 pm, a half hour after everyone had gone home, myself included.
If this smells fishy to you, it should. We may never know who Mr. Foote put in his pocket or
the exact details of how he managed to pull off this magic act but one thing is undeniable, the impossible time-line. Circumstantial as it may be, the case against SWD is strong and it's not
looking too good for the Planning Department either. Apply common sense here. <-------